Anticipated Stigma and Burnout: The Impact of Concerns About Being Perceived as Racist Among Law Enforcement Officers

ABSTRACT The “racist cop” stereotype is one of the most prominent social representations of law enforcement in the United States. Drawing on theories of stereotype threat and stigma, this article suggests that this negative stereotype creates an identity threat that heightens anxiety and stress among law enforcement officers, increasing the risks of their burnout. Using survey data collected from officers in a state‐level law enforcement agency in 2021, we find that White officers, as well as those who reported greater stress during the 2020 protests, express stronger concerns about being perceived as racist. These concerns are associated with elevated levels of burnout, and efforts to maintain a positive self‐image partially mediate this relationship. These findings hold even after controlling for burnout levels reported by the same officers in 2019. Overall, our results extend stereotype‐threat research to a high‐power public service context and underscore the need for organizational interventions that reduce stereotype‐related stress and support officer well‐being.